Digital Logos Edition
At The Tense Intersection Of Biblical Interpretation And Contemporary Politics, This Book Stands Out As An Imagined Political Campaign Guide Based On A Creative Deep Dive Into Luke’s Vibrant Evangelical Account Of Jesus’s Messianic Mission. It Seeks To Challenge Any Group That Blithely Claims Jesus’s Endorsement Of Their Partisan Agendas Today, But Especially Those Trumpeting Authoritarian Rule. Close Attention To Luke’s Narrative Discloses A Distinctive Figure Who Strikingly Ill Fits Standard Strongman Profiles And Straitjacket Labels. Warning: If Luke’s Jesus Doesn’t Change Your Vote, He Might Well Change Your Mind, Challenge Your Life, And Shake Up Your Politics Along The Way.
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The problem with Scott Spencer’s book is that it is too perceptive to be listed among the political theology books. There is a pastoral theology in abundance, institutional critique cropping up, and personal discipleship challenges on every page. Plus, it’s clever and fun and satirical all at once. I hope churches preach this book in the run-up to elections because it offers a bold Jesus- and cross- and kingdom-shaped vision of Christianity, the church, and Christian leaders. This book shows that we have failed to realize this vision more than we care to admit.
—Scot McKnight, visiting professor, Houston Theological Seminary
F. Scott Spencer has written a fun and fascinating book describing the Jesus of the Gospel of Luke as if he were running for public office. Strange as it sounds, it is in fact a genius way to show how Jesus was campaigning for God, God’s kingdom, and God’s people to live a new kind of story—not according to the cut-throat politics of the world, but based on the theme of love for God and love for neighbor. The book also puts into sharp relief the difference between Jesus and many other political campaigners of our day. An enlightening volume!
—Michael F. Bird, deputy principal, Ridley College
F. Scott Spencer masterfully walks his readers through Jesus’s life and ministry according to Luke’s Gospel. Along the way, Spencer distinguishes Jesus’s aims, approaches, and values from those of politicians in antiquity. The real genius of this book, however, lies in Spencer’s contrast between Jesus and contemporary politicians, who are commonly characterized by self-aggrandizement and grandiose promises. He exhorts Christians to assess whether their devotion to Jesus guides their participation in the American electoral process.
—Andrew E. Arterbury, professor of Christian Scriptures, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University
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